Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., then-president and chief executive officer of General Motors.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Founded1934 (1934)
FounderAlfred Pritchard Sloan Jr.
FocusResearch and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economics
Location
MethodGrantmaking
Key people
Adam F. Falk (President)
EndowmentUS$2.0 billion
Employees
36
Websitesloan.org

The Sloan Foundation makes grants to support original research and broad-based education related to science, technology, and economics. The foundation is an independent entity and has no formal relationship with General Motors.[1] As of 2022, the Sloan Foundation's assets totaled $2.0 billion.[2]

History

During the initial years of Alfred P. Sloan’s presidency, the foundation devoted its resources almost exclusively to education in economics and business. Grants were made to develop materials to improve high school and college economics teaching; for preparation of and wide distribution of inexpensive pamphlets on the pressing economic and social issues of the day; for weekly radio airing of round table discussions on current topics in economics and related subjects; and for establishing a Tax Institute at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to interpret new taxes and new trends in public finance for the average citizen.[3]

From 1936 to 1945, Harold S. Sloan, an economist and Alfred's younger brother, served as director and vice president of the foundation.[4][5]

The Sloan Foundation also made many civic contributions to the foundation's home city of New York, including grants to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Channel 13, New York Public Library, New York University, and the Fund for the City of New York.[6]

Starting January 2018, Adam Falk, past president of Williams College, assumed the presidency of the foundation.[7]

Programs

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation makes grants in seven broad subjects, known within the foundation as major program areas.

  • Science
  • Economics
  • STEM Higher Education
  • Digital Information Technology
  • Public Understanding of Science, Technology & Economics
  • Working Longer
  • Energy & Environment[1]

The Sloan Work and Family Researchers Network supports research and education about work-family issues. The foundation also funded the national workplace flexibility campaign[8] as part of the Working Families program led by Kathleen E. Christensen.[9]

The Sloan Research Fellowships are annual awards given to more than 126 young researchers and university faculty, to further studies in chemistry, computational and evolutionary microbiology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, ocean sciences and physics.[10]

In March 2008, the foundation awarded a $3 million grant to the Wikimedia Foundation.[11] It made additional grants in July 2011 and January 2017.[12]

The Sloan Foundation is the primary funder of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a major astronomical survey that began data collection in 2000.

In 1945, the Sloan Foundation donated $4 million to launch the Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute, now the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[13]

In 1950, the Sloan Foundation made a gift of more than $5 million to establish a School of Industrial Management, now known as the MIT Sloan School of Management.[14]

Presidents
  1. Alfred P. Sloan Jr. (1934–1961)
  2. Everett Case (1962–1968)
  3. Nils Y. Wessell[15] (1969–1979)
  4. Albert Rees[16] (1979–1988)
  5. Ralph E. Gomory (1989–2007)
  6. Paul L. Joskow (2008–2017)
  7. Adam F. Falk (2018–present)

References
  1. About the Foundation Sloan Foundation. Archived 2012-01-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "2022 Annual Report" (PDF). Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  3. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: A Grantmaking History 1934-2009 (PDF). Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. 2009. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  4. "Fairleigh Dickinson Elects", The New York Times, October 6, 1963. Accessed October 1, 2017, Subscription required.
  5. "Harold S. Sloan, 100, Former Manufacturer". The New York Times. November 9, 1988. Retrieved October 1, 2017. Harold Stephenson Sloan, a retired manufacturer, economist, teacher and author who was a brother of the industrialist Alfred P. Sloan, died in his sleep Saturday at his home in Lopatcong Township, N.J. He was 100 years old.
  6. "Alfred P. Sloan Foundation History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-03. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  7. Stafford, Scott (June 29, 2017). "Williams College President Adam Falk to step down in December". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  8. "National Challenge for Higher Education: Campaign Recruiting Materials". American Council on Education. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
  9. "Kathleen E. Christensen: Program Director". Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College. January 25, 2013. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  10. "Sloan Research Fellowships". Sloan Foundation. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  11. Bergstein, Brian (26 March 2008). "Sloan Foundation donates $3M to Wikipedia". USA Today. Associated Press. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  12. "Wikimedia Foundation receives $3 million grant from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to make freely licensed images accessible and reusable across the web" (Press release). Wikimedia Foundation. January 9, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  13. "Sloan Kettering Institute Marks 70 Years of Changing Cancer". Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  14. "About MIT Sloan". MIT. Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  15. Hevesi, Dennis (9 March 2007). "Nils Wessell, 92, Leader Who Transformed Tufts, Is Dead". The New York Times.
  16. Levy, Clifford J. (7 September 1992). "Albert Rees, 71, Labor Economist And an Adviser to President Ford". The New York Times.
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